Details on the Spring 2018 University Scholars Seminar:

Arguably the greatest U.S. writer of the nineteenth century, Herman Melville was consumed by making sense of, or at times just making fun of, the deep inequalities surrounding him in the post-Revolutionary United States. Masters and slaves, men and women, the overdeveloped world and the Global South, sailors and captains, settlers and indigenous people, workers and their bosses, humans and animals, as well as the rural poor and their supposed betters all engaged Melville’s searching attention and deep sympathies. That Melville sustained these interests so long and so deeply without much participating in political movements critiquing social relations in the U.S. raises profound questions about literature and politics. In this discussion-based seminar students will read mostly short stories from Melville as well as the classic novella of slave revolt Benito Cereno and chapters from Typee, The Confidence Man, and Moby Dick. Interspersed will be short texts by social theorists from Melville’s time—for example Marx and Hegel—who were trying to understand inequality. The class will also read and discuss articles from modern historians, who often use Melville texts to examine inequality. Taught by Foundation professor and chair of the American Studies Department David Roediger, the class aims to teach writing and critical thinking skills as well as ability to analyze sources in a seminar situation and to trust in others’ intelligence while working through difficult questions.

The course will be offered Tuesdays, 2:30-5:00 pm.

How to Apply

1) Fill out the application.

2) Ask two people to fill out the recommendation form.

Applications for the 2018 cohort are due September 21. Interviews are planned for October 22.

Students in their second year at KU with a strong academic record (about 3.75 gpa) are invited to apply at the beginning of the fall semester. University Scholars are selected on the basis of academic credentials; commitment to their education; intellectual promise; involvement outside of the classroom; and evaluations by instructors, advisers, and other faculty members.

Still have questions? Contact program director Erin Spiridigliozzi at eas@ku.edu

Note: The Global Scholars Program, housed in the Office of International Programs is a sibling program to the University Scholars Program; students may apply for only one of the two programs.

History of the University Scholars Program

The University Scholars program was founded in the Spring of 1982 by Judge Deanell Tacha then Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor Francis Heller. The program now counts over 600 alumni, including 5 Rhodes Scholars, 3 Marshall Scholars, 28 Goldwater Scholars, 13 Truman Scholars, and leaders in a variety of fields.